What to do with chanterelle mushrooms after picking

It is necessary to clean the chanterelles on the first day after collection. This process promises to be simple and educational. Each type of mushroom has its own rules, which are better to listen to so as not to make mistakes. This will help later, after cooking, to enjoy the wonderful taste and aroma of a gourmet dish to the fullest.

How to process chanterelles after harvest

When collecting, you can immediately notice that the chanterelles are quite fragile and require special treatment. It is better to start processing immediately after the cut. To do this, it is enough to clean the mushrooms from large debris in the form of foliage and twigs. The basket cannot be filled to the top, so as not to crush the bottom layer of the crop.

Already at home, proceed to a thorough processing.

Do you need to clean chanterelles

Processing chanterelles is a mandatory step, which is best approached responsibly. The caps of these mushrooms are sticky and the debris will hold on tight.

Actions to be carried out step by step:

1. Soak for a short time.
2. Clean hats and gills.
3. Rinse with plenty of water.

Do not skip any of these items.

How to peel chanterelle mushrooms

Not everyone succeeds in cleaning chanterelles correctly, many make mistakes. As a result, ready meals can turn out with rubbery and tasteless mushrooms, and small debris will creak on the teeth.

Procedure:

1. Take out one copy and put in a bowl of water for a quarter of an hour.
2. Rinse the surface of the cap from soaked small debris with a sponge.
3. Examine completely to make sure there are no blackened spots that just need to be scraped off or cut off in the same way as the bottom of the leg.

It remains to proceed to the last stage of preparation.

How to wash chanterelle mushrooms

You will also need to wash, paying attention to each mushroom. Place the upper part of the hat under the tap first, gently massaging with your fingers and removing dirt.

Then turn over and clean the sand and earth between the plates under running water. Put everything in a colander to drain excess liquid.

Do you need to soak chanterelles in water

Despite the fact that chanterelles contain bitterness, which repels pests, pre-soaking is often not required.

But there are exceptions, these include:

1. Old large fruits manage to collect a large amount of unpleasant taste.
2. Dry weather often causes mushrooms to become very bitter in season. Chanterelles collected near conifers and moss also accumulate an unpleasant taste.
3. Some housewives make the mistake of freezing fresh mushrooms when there is no time for processing. This is also a factor in the accumulation of an unpleasant taste.

Chanterelles are not tasty, but not dangerous to health, if collected in ecologically clean places, properly processed and stored. In other cases, soaking is not required, especially if they were previously soaked in water when removing debris.

 It is worth paying attention to one of the varieties of this mushroom – black chanterelle. The delicacy product is not familiar to everyone, but connoisseurs love to prepare it. It can also be fried fresh, but only the cap is used (the leg is quite dense). But it gained great popularity in dried and powdered form, which is added to dishes during cooking to give a special taste.

It must be pre-soaked to get rid of accumulated toxins.

Do I need to soak chanterelles before frying

In this case, the matter is not only in the quality of the mushrooms, but also in the option of cleaning and preparing the chanterelles before frying. Cases when it is necessary to soak mushrooms have already been described.

The fact is that some cooks pre-boil the crop before heat treatment in a pan. Even if there are specimens with the presence of bitterness, it will all go into the broth.

If the harvest is fresh and there is no doubt, the mushrooms, after chopping, are immediately fried in a pan until cooked.

Do I need to soak chanterelles before pickling

Before pickling, chanterelles are almost always pre-boiled. During such a heat treatment, bitterness, if present, will all go into the water, which must be changed after 10 minutes of boiling.

In order for large mushrooms not only to cook, but also to get rid of an unpleasant taste, they must be cut into pieces similar in size to the smallest specimens.

In some recipes, it is recommended that only chanterelle caps be marinated after processing. In this case, you should not be afraid of bitterness at all, since it is more contained in the legs. But if you have to cook caviar from them, then it is better to keep them in a salted and acidified composition for no more than 20 minutes.

Is it possible to soak chanterelles overnight

As already mentioned, chanterelles are a fragile mushroom. After cleaning and prolonged exposure to water, they will become lethargic, soft, may partially lose their color and taste, as well as useful substances. In the absence of time, some advise to store on a shelf intended for vegetables, only sorted. You don’t even need to wash them. Perform all necessary actions immediately before cooking.

A frozen semi-finished product from chanterelles, if the mushrooms were not previously boiled, is often bitter. In such cases, prolonged soaking in a salty composition, and then boiling, helps to get rid of the unpleasant taste.

But as for the black look, many people soak it, leaving it in water from 12 to 24 hours.

Useful Tips

It is worth considering tips from experienced mushroom pickers – how to properly collect, process and cook chanterelles:

1. You should not go out on a “quiet hunt” after a long and dry period, as well as prolonged frosts. During this unfavorable period, mushrooms have time to soak in harmful substances. There is a high probability of harvesting with bitterness.
2. Choose places with clean air, away from industrial enterprises and highways.
3. Inspect each copy after cutting. Do not put worm-damaged chanterelles with healthy mushrooms. Cut off blackened areas, scrape off dirt and sand.
4. In the basket, the product should feel free so as not to break.
5. At home, do not pour everything into the water, because small debris will accumulate at the bottom.
6. Start processing immediately, preventing the crop from spoiling. In a cool place, chanterelles can stand for no more than a day.
7. Peel and be sure to boil the mushrooms if they are frozen.
8. If there is a semi-finished product on the table, the quality of which is in doubt, then prepare a small batch to understand the taste. If necessary, when bitterness is present, soak or boil.
9. Be sure to drain in a colander to get rid of excess moisture.

More often, chanterelles do not cause much trouble to housewives.

Conclusion

It is very easy to clean chanterelles if all the conditions are met at the time of collection. Properly performed actions will help you prepare a wonderful dish of delicious mushrooms or prepare them for the winter period in order to enjoy the gifts of summer all year round.